Things Every Calgary Homeowner
Should Know
Everyone in the home repair field
sees examples of homeowner neglect
that cost money, increase wear and
tear on expensive mechanical
systems, and even threaten life and
limb. It always makes us shake our
heads knowing that with just a
little bit of maintenance and moxie,
homeowners can stretch their
budgets, improve equipment
performance and significantly reduce
most household hazards.
Here are some of the simple little
things that most homeowners should
know , but most don't.
Household water pressure typically
starts out at 40-60 pounds per
square inch. That's enough to cause
weak piping joints to burst and to
create a noisy condition known as
water hammer when things aren't
right with the plumbing system.
Never, ever store flammables in the
vicinity of a furnace, boiler or
water heater, especially one with a
standing pilot light. This is easy
to overlook, because basements and
utility rooms are by definition
storage areas. Also, some substances
prone to combustion aren't obvious
fire hazards, such as swimming pool
chemicals or many household
cleaners. To be on the safe side, if
it's a substance you wouldn't
ingest, keep it away from combustion
appliances.
Furnace filters ideally ought to be
changed four times a year, and
certainly at least twice a year.
Yet, heating technicians routinely
encounter furnaces where the filters
haven't been changed in years.
Just one working smoke alarm can
reduce your chances of dying in a
home fire by almost 50%. Yet, a
quarter to one-third of smoke alarms
don't work due to dead or missing
batteries. Tip: get in the habit of
changing all alarm batteries once a
year on your birthday or some other
memorable date you won't forget.
It takes only 1/2 second to scald
someone in 150?F water, 1 second in
140?F water, and 4 minutes in 120?F
water, according to the Gas
Appliance Manufacturers Association.
Modern water heaters are factory-set
at 120?F, but many older models
deliver much higher temperature
water.
The most common household injuries
occur from falls, which are blamed
for more than 8,000 deaths in North
America a year. Bathtub and shower
stall slips account for more than
160,000 documented injuries each
year, and many more that go
unreported. Non-skid bath mats and
grab bars are important safety
measures for any house.
More and more homes have carbon
monoxide detectors, which is good.
Many of them have them installed in
the vicinity of CO-emitting
appliances, which is bad. You want
them installed near bedrooms. The
biggest risk from CO occurs when
people are sleeping.
Ground-fault circuit interrupters
are simple, inexpensive devices that
can be obtained at any hardware
store. They ought to be installed in
bathroom outlets and any other
outlets near water.
Corrosive drain cleaners, such as
those sold on supermarket shelves,
frequently cause injury to plumbers
or homeowners when they open up
pipes or sink traps to do repairs.
Non-corrosive drain cleaners are
much better choices. One of the
best, Bio-Clean, is sold exclusively
through
Clearview Plumbing & Heating, The
Punctual Plumber™.
Soldering is not the most difficult
task in the world, but it is not
quite as easy as it looks.
Professional plumbers routinely end
up repairing leaks caused by
do-it-yourself solderers. A common
problem is using too much or too
little flux.
Any water heater without a working
temperature and pressure relief
valve is a time bomb waiting to
explode. Clearview's plumbing and
heating technicians encounter too
many of these bombs.
An automatic setback thermostat is
one of the best investments any
homeowner can make. These devices
can be programmed to modulate your
household temperature for maximum
comfort when occupants are present,
but conserve energy when everyone is
away at school and/or work.
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Representatives For A Free
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